Lou Reed may be known as the godfather of punk but he also knew how to have a funky good time.

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LOU REED
Claim To Fame [Diamond In Your Ears, 1CD] Live at the Roxy Theatre, Los Angeles, California, December 1, 1976. Very good soundboard.

Listening to the first track (simply called Jam) on this CD as a blindfold test would probably stump a lot of people. It’s a kind of jazz rock with a touch of Miles. Not really the kind of music one expects to find at a Lou Reed show.

But then, if Bruce Springsteen had Clarence Clemons to layer in the sax lines, in 1976, Lou Reed had jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, together with saxophonist Marty Fogel, to help his music swing. While not credited on the artwork, Cherry’s presence is integral to the general funky/jazzy vibe apart from getting a prime spot on tracks such as A Sheltered Life, I’m Waiting For The Man and Kicks (some fans even consider the version here among the best live versions of the song). Cherry even managed to imbue a quiet storm feel on Walk On The Wild Side. [Don Cherry would formally appear on Lou Reed’s 1979 album, The Bells.]

For his fans, Reed bookended the set with the classics, opening with Sweet Jane and closing with Walk On The Wild Side. In between he delivered a passionate She’s My Best Friend and I’m Waiting For The Man. Listening to this, one is also struck by how much Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fashioned his vocals after Reed’s, so much so that Lisa Says and You Wear It So Well could even pass as Dire Straits tunes!

In November 1976, Reed had released his seventh album, Rock And Roll Heart, but for this set, he only performed four new songs from the album - I Believe In Love, A Sheltered Life, You Wear It So Well and Claim To Fame. Coming after Berlin and Transformer, fans probably wanted more rocking angst but found Reed with what would be considered an R&B album! The lack of really standout songs didn’t help and fans are divided over “this faux jazzy big band sound” - just listen to the opening of A Sheltered Life.

But nothing seemed to faze Reed at this gig. Compared to the sound on the more sedate New York album in 1989, this concert practically brims with life. This is one very good sounding show, and with Don Cherry on board, becomes especially memorable for those who feel that the godfather of punk should dabble even with R&B if he so wishes.

Click on the highlighted tracks to download the MP3s (these are high quality stereo MP3s - sample rate of 192 kibit/s). As far as we can ascertain, this recording has never been officially released.

Note: Due to the size of some of the files, please be very patient when downloading the tracks. Kindly email us at mybigo@bigozine.com if you encounter problems downloading the files.

Track 01. Jam (7:07) (9.7MB) Track 02. Sweet Jane (4:31) (6.2MB)
Track 03. I Believe In Love (3:35) (4.9MB)
Click here if you reside in the United States
Click here if you reside outside the United States Track 04. Lisa Says (7:07) (9.7MB)Track 05. Kicks (11:57) (16.4MB) Track 06. She’s My Best Friend (5:34) (7.6MB)Track 07. I’m Waiting For The Man (12:27) (17.1MB) Track 08. A Sheltered Life (6:32) (8.9MB) Track 09. You Wear It So Well (4:50) (6.6MB) Track 10. Claim To Fame (2:49) (3.8MB)
Track 11. Walk On The Wild Side (10:33) (14.5MB)
Click here if you reside in the United States
Click here if you reside outside the United States

Heard the sad news about Lou finally quitting: too bad! Saw him during that tour, quite special, two of my heroes sharing the bandstand. Happy to hear that music again. Thks.
PS By the way, the 2 links for tks 5 & 7 are gone. Any hope of reupload?